The Timepiece Thread vol: READ THE 1st POST!!!

[datkidfiasco]

I like Montblanc for what it is. It still has that stigma of a pen maker making watches but that is a good thing if you're a fan because that means you can buy them on a good discount. Then again on the flipside, resell is bad but if it is going to be a keeper them why not. I like their Timewalker line, just wished it was smaller but overall it's a nice and simple design. They have been doing big things lately too, they have a Perpetual Calendar coming with an unprecedented price, I believe it is about $12k-$13k? The cheapest one you could get before was from JLC and that cost around $20k and with the amount of discount you could get with Montblancs, that is going to be an amazing deal. Of course movement ins't in-house but for that price and function and that price, you will never find one like it. Looks are subjective so it's up to you.



That specific model you posted, the Homage to RS is a very nice watch. IIRC it is the one with the invisible hour lume, no? You only see the numerals in the dark? Or is it there a limited edition that has that? I believe it also has an in-house chrono movement and that is always a plus.

Anyways, it's a nice watch and definitely unique. Being limited and having an in-house might give it better resale value if that is up to consideration.

i was at a local jewlery place today and they are shutting down, 40% off the watch (5500 retail) and they said if its there in 2 weeks when they close they would give me it for 60-80%, if i can get it for around 2k im going to get it.

 

[rfx45]

Holy shnikeys! You don't even need to think about that one, I'd insta-cop for sure for 80% off.

Any other watches they got that'll be discounted that low?

 

[datkidfiasco]

Holy shnikeys! You don't even need to think about that one, I'd insta-cop for sure for 80% off.

Any other watches they got that'll be discounted that low?

just a few different montblanc watches, apparently they started the sale and almost everything went at 30% ( omega, tissot, longhines) 

 

[bigboss]

RFX thoughts on the Air King? 

 

[flyknitlvr]

The Air King is the new 36mm Oyster Perpetual, right? I think they are exceptionally nice watches.

I'm starting to feel like my 40mm Sub-C is too big/gaudy :x

 

[vietster]

Just came across this article http://nathanwmorris.com/over-10k-worth-of-rolex-watches-nobody-cared/
*Alonzo .gif*

 

[rfx45]

RFX thoughts on the Air King? 

The Air King is the new 36mm Oyster Perpetual, right? I think they are exceptionally nice watches.

I'm starting to feel like my 40mm Sub-C is too big/gaudy :x

The Air King does not exist anymore, it is not a 34mm Oyster Perpetual, pretty much the same as the Air King minus the Air King name on the dial.

I like the Air King and it has a very rich history of it's own but personally, the 34mm is too small. I love my 36mm Oyster Perpetual but to me that is borderline too small, any smaller and I would just find it too small for an every day watch (I could bare a smaller watch for more formal occasions).

Other than the size, it is a beautiful watch that comes with the typical Rolex quality, reliability and robustness. I personally love Rolexes with a clean and symmetric dial (this works for me since I do not need a date in my watches).

So if it fits your wrist well then go for it, it is a great watch.

Just came across this article http://nathanwmorris.com/over-10k-worth-of-rolex-watches-nobody-cared/
*Alonzo .gif*

This guys a moron.

 

[bigboss]

Well I have around 8in wrists, which model would you suggest?  I found a Oysterdate Precision that is a 38mm that I like. How big are the Datejust, I like those as well.

 

[yeah]

Just came across this article http://nathanwmorris.com/over-10k-worth-of-rolex-watches-nobody-cared/
*Alonzo .gif*

That's what you get when you purchase 10k worth of anything and expect to receive props from people who couldn't care less. The story of him being in a coffee shop and dropping his watch... Dude needs to cry himself a river then build 10k worth of bridge and get over it.

That dumb sentiment of 'I spent _____ on this so I deserve recognition' is a small part of what's wrong with so many people. If you're buying anything for any reason other than you need/want it, you've already lost.

 

[fuzzynguyen]

^ That was the dumbest article I've ever read. If you have to get your Rolex serviced every year you have OCD.

 

[rfx45]

Well I have around 8in wrists, which model would you suggest?  I found a Oysterdate Precision that is a 38mm that I like. How big are the Datejust, I like those as well.

I would not suggest the AirKing for a wrist that big (mine is 6.5" on a good day) but it is still best to try them on as it is a personal preference.

Datejust comes in 36mm and I think that might still be to small, however there is the Datejust II which is 41mm so I would try that one out.

With an 8" wrist though, I would say even the 44mm Deepsea would work for you too.

Best to try them on, go to a boutique or an AD near you and try on as much as you can and see what makes you fall in love.

 

[fuzzynguyen]

Standard procedure here.

Most people are taught to not wear their watch on their dominant hand.

I am a lefty and I started wearing my watches on my right hand but I've heard "Crown always out" so I've switched my watches back to my left hand. Some people think it's wrong to wear a watch with your right hand.

 

[fuzzynguyen]

 
Well I have around 8in wrists, which model would you suggest?  I found a Oysterdate Precision that is a 38mm that I like. How big are the Datejust, I like those as well.

You should look into the Date Just II. It's 41mm. Perfect size IMO

 

[bigboss]

Thanks guys. Also if buying used is there a specific time period that is too old?

 

[rfx45]

Not really out side of it being "vintage" but what you really need to be sure of is authenticity and condition.

I would also research I guess when Rolex started doing solid center links for the model you are interested in, it makes a huge difference in my opinion and it just make Rolex even more solid and prevents that bracelet "sag".

 

[bigboss]

Got it. Most sellers on eBay offer 14 day money back returns so if its not legit I will just return it. I found a Oysterdate Precision that I like as well as a Datejust and one called a 1500? Not sure if I like diamond bezel though.

 

[Y4BBZY]

Watchwinder or Not​

Some say it is best to keep the watch moving as it moves the oil around and get it moving and lubricates all the cogs and gears. It is best to let it work as intended and when it comes to watch winder, just make sure you get one that works right (I know this wasn't part of your question).

Then the other side of that argument is that moving parts will always have friction and the oil helps in that but there is still that friction and there will be wear and tear. The oils in these day and in age are also clean and pure enough that it isn't bad to just let it sit for months or years.

Most watchmakers say it is best to just let the watch sit if you aren't going use it and just wind it when you're going to use it but then again Vacheron Constantin themselves suggest using a watch winder on their automatic watches to maintain it's accuracy and prolong it's life.

Both side have very valid points and it is up to you which side you go with.

added to first post, thanks RFX

 

[rfx45]

An Open Letter To IWC, From John Mayer


Dear IWC,


First of all, big fan. And like any big fan of a team, I get passionate about them winning. And passion can sound critical, but it’s all out of love and the desire to see them win every year.


I first discovered IWC after making the requisite Rolex purchase and wondering what else was out there in the vast unknown world of watches. “Have you heard of IWC?” a friend asked me, and from there, after jumbling the letters in my mind a few times, I found your brand online and soon purchased my first IWC, the GST chronograph in titanium.


My first impressions of you were unforgettable. In a world of stuffy, erudite luxury watchmakers, your brand stood out as sleek, sturdy, and supremely confident. Even your name, "IWC" – short for the just-as-stoic and behaved “INTERNATIONAL WATCH COMPANY” – told me you were more interested in making great timepieces than in catchy names. When you did advertise, your ads were in black and white. The watches were very often photographed on their side, like a faithful tool at rest. And above, in forever untrendy Microsoft "impact" font, a fearless and playful devil-may-care tagline. Your brand was built, whether you knew it then or not, on a simple unspoken mantra: “We’re the other guys.”

View media item 1355159


I was hooked. I soon bought a Big Pilot (reference 5002 – didn’t have to look it up) and not only did it become my favorite watch, it also took on a much larger role as a personal identifier; “Big Pilot” became my code name on the road, and the 12 o’clock indicator even made it on the twelfth fret of my Martin signature acoustic guitar. A few years later I bought the Big Pilot in platinum, but not before a Portuguese Automatic to celebrate my first Grammy win. Suffice it to say these were not the last of my IWC purchases, and I felt very organically and authentically that I was a friend of the brand (more on this later).

View media item 1355160View media item 1355161

As your brand became more well known, and with the breakout success of the Big Pilot, more designs were introduced, and the modern IWC story was unfolding gracefully. The lineup was like a dream team: pilots' watches, led by the Big Pilot but including an array of smaller and no-frills, flight-instrument-themed timepieces; the Portuguese Automatic, a spartan yet gorgeous dress watch that so brilliantly pulled from the sector dials of the past; and the Aquatimer, a watch over which IWC’s “tool” aesthetic fit so perfectly. The collection was rounded out by Portofinos, grand complications, and several other pieces that made scanning the IWC website so much fun. Oh, and about that website: you were www.iwc.ch for as long as anybody could hold out without getting the more universally recognized “.com.” I loved that.

View media item 1355162


Then something changed. It would be cynical to blame it on the company’s sale to Richemont Group, because I believe a company can change hands and still maintain their course. But I can tell you the moment the entire line shifted was with the release of the Ingenieur model. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t need everything you manufacture to be something I would wear. But more than what was off about this particular watch, the Ingenieur birthed an aesthetic that would travel far and wide across the entire IWC line. The materials and cosmetics of subsequent releases started to change. If the IWC of the early 2000s was engineered for men they knew valued practicality, the new company was engineered for men they figured must be out there, based on the success of other luxury markets. Whatever this visual algorithm you were playing with, it was using multipliers I didn’t identify with; does polished steel mean it’s like a private jet? Does carbon fiber mean it’s like a Bugatti? If you craft the hour markers to look like numbers on a gear box, will owners of ultra-high-end toys identify so much with these features that the completist in them will be compelled to own the watch? (If there was any question that this might all be in my imagination, you aligned with Mercedes-Benz, seemingly to provide them with the highest-end little dashboard clocks in the world.)

View media item 1355163


When you started to open brick-and-mortar boutiques in high-end fashion districts across the world, the integral models in your lineup saw their DNA spliced into special limited editions so many times over that the the original models began to look like a tired sperm donor. The Big Pilot, your most popular offering and possibly the best overall watch of the '00s, spawned so many special editions it’s as if you hired the people from NIKE ID to help manufacture them. And this leads me to a thought on watch brands that I feel every company needs to understand from a collector’s perspective – future releases affect the relationship that passionate owners have with past ones. The best brands understand this, and to the naked eye they appear staid or sedate, but to enthusiasts, it appears something like respect, a tacit understanding that the watch you buy will still come to represent the brand you buy into over the coming years.

View media item 1355164


Over the next several years, the IWC I had come to know and love had all but disappeared. In its place stood a company that seemed at times more like a luxury hotel chain than a watch manufacturer. You started inviting a certain strain of particularly accomplished celebrities to events, and though they posed with your watches on their wrists in red carpet photos, I didn’t get the sense that they loved them, that they shared the passion for them that my fellow collectors and I did. I wondered if they even appreciated them for the incredible workmanship they housed, or just saw them as an incentive. This “friend of the brand” program, as you now call it, has managed to come off as equal parts withholding and alienating. (I feel like we’re friends, but I have a feeling I wouldn’t meet your stringent FOB requirements.)

View media item 1355165


I wouldn’t be writing you if I didn’t want to end this with words of encouragement. I still love IWC. I love its history, and I love its potential future. So here’s my humble suggestion for getting that old fire back: embrace your heritage, scale the product line down in terms of model variants, and simplify the design language. Transcend slowly. Trying to be all things to everyone is a pretty good way to ensure that you won’t be something special to anyone. Be IWC. That brilliant, slightly off-beat German-meets-Swiss high-grade timepiece manufacturer. Masters of utilitarian luxury. Stop polishing everything to a chrome-like luster. Play hard to get and treat your flagship pieces with dignity. And let authenticity be your best publicity; for all the highfalutin celebrities that have appeared at your events by way of a marketing budget, consider this: Keith Richards wears a Portugese Automatic. Daily. (Not this). You couldn’t have landed that deal if you’d tried. That kind of "promotion" is what it’s all about. It’s deep, it’s authentic, and it’s long lasting. Just like IWC.


Sincerely,

John Mayer

 

[rfx45]

Just as a follow up to that amazing letter, here he is on Talking Watches again.

 

[grizzlyboy]

Its like when your favorite restaurant gets trendy and then removes your favorite dish from the menu. I get it.

 

[rfx45]

IWC responds..

Dear Mr. Mayer,

As you can imagine, we read your open letter to IWC on HODINKEE with considerable interest. We couldn't help but feel we owed you a reply and before saying anything else, we must thank you not only for your long support of our brand but also for the obvious passion for our work that is reflected in your letter.

For some reason we kept thinking of the title to a song of yours called, "I Don't Trust Myself With Loving You," as it sounds as if that's how you feel about IWC. As we’re sure you know, there are many IWC fans who, like you, continue to love the brand but wonder what happened to what they, and you, think of as the "good old" IWC.

You write that "the [old] IWC ... had all but disappeared." We assume you feel that we have gone from being a wonderfully conservative, stolidly pragmatic tool-watch maker to that most horrible of entities to serious watch fans: a lifestyle brand that has allowed itself to be seduced into chronic insincerity and pursuit of short term goals due to our interest in embracing the interests and needs of clients in the Far East.

Well, what can we say, Mr. Mayer – you are of course absolutely right, in a sense. But perhaps we here in Schaffhausen can offer you, in thanks for your very sincere letter, a bit of context.

IWC is no longer what it was in the so-called “good old days” (although when those days actually were seems to depend a lot on who we hear from; there are fans of the brand old enough to be your grandfather who seem to feel, if we may borrow an English idiom, that we've been going to hell in a hand basket since Albert Pellaton died).

The challenge the “old” IWC faced was actually an existential one, and goes all the way back to the Quartz Crisis – the company lost an enormous amount of manufacturing capacity, and throughout Switzerland tens of thousands of people with the accumulated technical knowledge of centuries simply left the business. IWC was determined to recover that technical capacity but to do so would require a fresh approach and, of course, the means to rebuild that technical capacity. We love dinosaurs as much as the next fellow, but when the asteroid altered their world permanently 65 million years ago, they could not adapt; when our world changed, we had the opportunity to adapt or die. IWC chose to adapt.

Some facts: for a company like IWC to design and produce a chronograph or automatic, and retail it in watches priced commensurate with our market position, we have to be reasonably assured of selling over tens of thousands of units per year. Despite that, we are proud to say that we have developed, in recent years, what we frankly think is an astounding variety of in-house movements, and we're by no means finished. Our technical capacity continues to evolve and it is exactly thanks to our success with our customers, and our ability to evolve to meet their needs and tastes, that we have the ability to do so! Far from representing an abandonment of our values, it is precisely our commercial success that enables us to continue to embrace those values.

We are very proud of what IWC has managed to achieve. Our approach has allowed us to not only survive – and we hope you will reflect, along with those who share your views, that survival was by no means guaranteed for any Swiss mechanical watch brand at one point – but to flourish. The hard truth of the matter is that had we not evolved, we would not only not enjoy the security we do today, but we might not exist at all; the "old" IWC certainly had a certain idiosyncratic charm, but it would have long since gone out of business had we not changed to adapt to the times.

You do not share the tastes of some of our clients, but that no more makes their tastes wrong than it makes yours wrong and while we will never – and we say this emphatically – never try to be all things to all people, we will and must do what the brand has done throughout its history, which is make watches that in the context of the brand's character, meet the desires of our customers.

With respect to our relationships with celebrities, certainly you are in a better position than most to understand the power of celebrity! Look at the voice it has given you to be a part of the conversation on the direction of IWC. Just as you do, we feel we can be a part of that world without it fatally compromising our values and like you, we like to think we can be creative, interesting, and exciting to our fans without letting fame go to our heads. And as you mentioned Mr. Keith Richards – IWC is already, organically, a part of that world.

But, we would point you to the many other groups we work with substantially, such as the Charles Darwin Foundation, The Antoine de Saint Exupéry Youth Foundation, Laureus Sports for Good Foundation and The Cousteau Society. These organizations are a much bigger part of our business than the occasional celebrity campaign and as a company that enjoys such international success, we have a corporate philosophy that embraces ecological responsibility and social commitment. We have not changed as much as some seem to think – except perhaps that we have simply gotten better at letting people know who we already are.

So we would say, Mr. Mayer, trust yourself with loving us. We work hard to earn it, and we promise you that we'll keep working hard. We have a wonderful past, it is true – but in admiring what we achieved thus far, we hope you will feel encouraged to look forward to what we achieve in the future. We feel immense pride in what we will, in a few short days, share with you and our other supporters at the SIHH. May our evolution continue to surprise and excite our clients, and may our hard work continue to merit the respect of those, like you, who understand and share our deepest values. Should you like to join us in Geneva this Tuesday, we will happily share with you our exciting new launches.


Very sincerely yours,

IWC Schaffhausen

 

[grizzlyboy]

Want my old ish, buy my old albums. (c) Jay-Z

 

[bigboss]

Decided to wait till I could budget a new Rolex, so I picked up a Tag in the meantime. I know they get some hate but I like it.

 

[Sneaker P]

Looking to change out the strap on my Carrera to a croc strap. Anyone know where I can find them? Is it normal that the strap and deployment can run upwards of $500-600?

 

[rfx45]

If you are looking at one by Tag Heuer, then yeah it will cost plenty since the deployant and leather on Tags are unique. You slide the deployant to adjust, there are no holes for the deployant to hold through.
View media item 1361763


There are some aftermakret ones out there but they are far and few in between.

You can buy/check some out here: http://www.authenticwatches.com/tag-heuer-carrera-replacement-bands.html